Gerry Laybourne

Chairwoman, Katapult

Geraldine Laybourne founded Oxygen Media, a 24-hour cable television network for young women, where she served as Chairman and CEP until she sold it to NBC Universal in 2007. Gerry was a cable programming pioneer in the 80’s and 90’s: she lead the team that created Nickelodeon and Nick at Nite. She also served as president of Disney/ABC Cable Networks (from 1996-1998) where she ran cable programming for the Walt Disney Company and its ABC subsidiary. Ms. Laybourne has been singled out for her many contributions to the industry. She was ranked No. 1 among the 50 most influential women in the entertainment industry by The Hollywood Reporter in 1996 and named one of the 25 most influential people in America by Time magazine that same year.

Gerry is the chairwoman of Katapult, a digital entertainment company geared towards making a positive impact through creative technology. She serves on the Board of Directors of J.C. Penney, Symantec Corporation, and the non-executive Chairman of the Board of Alloy Inc. She is the President of the AAVC and on the Board of Trustees of Vassar College and a corporate ambassador for Vital Voices. She and her husband Kit, a teacher, producer, and author, have two children and four grandchildren.

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